The CUNY Ethics and
Morality Essay Contest
is funded by an
endowment gift of
$100,000 to the City
University of New York
by Dr. K. York Chynn and
his wife Noelle Chynn.
This annual award is
intended to promote and
stimulate thinking by
college students at CUNY
about the topic of
ethics, morality, and
virtuous behavior in
their lives. More than
ever, these issues arise
not only in the personal
relationships of
individuals and family
and friends, but also in
the context of
corporate, government,
and social
responsibility, whether
it is about treating
others fairly and
honestly, or food
safety.

The Asian American /
Asian Research Institute
will award the top three
essays, selected by the
Selection Committee, the
following prizes at its
13th Annual Gala in
October:

Regardless of where one
lives, virtues form the
moral foundation of
one’s life. Throughout
history, moral
philosophers in all
cultures have striven to
answer the question of
“What characteristics or
virtues distinguish the
moral man from the
immoral one?” In ancient
Greek times, the Four
Cardinal Virtues were:

Prudence/Wisdom

Justice

Fortitude/Courage

Temperance/Self-control

There were
additionally
Three
Theological
Virtues:

Faith

Hope

Charity

Together, these
comprised the
Seven Virtues.

At about the same time
in ancient China,
Confucius formulated
what he called the Five
Constant Virtues:

Ren
(Benevolence,
Love)

Yi
(Righteousness)

Li
(Propriety,
Loyalty,
Filial
Piety,
Chastity,
Respect)

Zhi
(Wisdom)

Xin
(Integrity,
Honesty,
Fidelity)

In today's
modern society
however, virtues
have slowly
begun to lose
their
importance, or
are often
forgotten in the
daily hustle of
people's daily
lives. For
example in
China, officials
recently enacted
a new law to
foster filial
piety among its
citizens by
compelling adult
children to
visit their
aging parents.
Recognizing the
importance of
virtues in our
lives, will lead
to better
communication,
understanding,
and acceptance
between us and
our fellow man.

For your essay,
please
select one
Virtue from the
list above to
discuss in
detail. In
discussing the
Virtue you have
selected, please
incorporate all
of the following
points in your
essay:

Tell us
about your
own
experience
in
practicing
the Virtue
you have
chosen to
write about
and what
personal
reward or
satisfaction
have you
gained from
it.

Why did you
think the
Virtue that
you chose
was an
important
one to
practice in
your life?

What obstacles
did you
encounter in
practicing
this
particular
Virtue and
how did you,
or do you,
still strive
to overcome
the
difficulties?

Submission must
meet the
following
requirements:

Applicant
must be
a currently
enrolled
CUNY
undergraduate
or graduate
student.
Please
submit copy
of your college
ID and
current
semester
program. (No
recommendations
letters or
transcripts are
required.)

Cover page
containing
topic of the
essay, name
of the student,
name of the CUNY
college, and
date.

Length:
1,000 to
1,500 words

Typed,
12-size
Times New
Roman font,
1-inch
margins, and
double-spaced.

Work-cited:
Reference
all
materials
that is not
your own.
Include at
least five
sources.

All work
must be
original
material. Attribution
and
references
to quoted
materials
must be
included.

No online
submissions.
Hard copy of
essay can be
submitted by
postal mail
(postmarked
by Oct 31,
2014, or
hand-delivered
to AAARI
office on
October 31,
2014, by
5PM)